
Aircraft Mission Systems, such as the OPENSIGHT platform from developer FlySight, are designed to help reduce the negative impacts of operator challenges in modern military aviation missions.
In mission planning, while technological aspects are crucial, addressing the human challenges faced by operators in critical situations is equally important. Helicopter pilots, whether engaged in search and rescue (SAR) missions, law enforcement surveillance, or military operations, face some of the most mentally and physically demanding roles in aviation.
Technological advancements and processes can play an essential role in overcoming these challenges on a daily basis. This includes innovations like OPENSIGHT, offering a customizable solution that adapts to the specific needs of critical aviation operations.
Below, FlySight explores technological solutions that incorporate AI, Enhanced Reality (ER), and multi-layered functionality within Mission Console systems, highlighting key mission management software features and their impact on addressing various human challenges.
Operational Challenges
As technology progresses, human operators can often be seen as the ‘weak link’ in the operational chain. Unlike machines, humans are susceptible to stress and fatigue, which can impair their performance. Issues such as cognitive overload can significantly affect decision-making, hinder data processing, and reduce situational awareness.
While training, short shift schedules, and ergonomic designs for seats, work gear, and helmets help alleviate some of these challenges, the most effective strategy is to reduce the workload, allowing operators to focus on fewer, more critical tasks.
The mental and psychological stress that aerial unit crews face is another major factor. The pressure of flying a complex machine while ensuring crew safety, ensuring mission success, and processing vast amounts of information can greatly impact an operator’s well-being. Symptoms can include disrupted sleep patterns, mental and physical exhaustion, and ‘brain fog,’ as well as long-term health issues.
Communication Breakdown & Insufficient Technical Support
Communication issues also pose significant challenges. A breakdown in communication between the helicopter crew and ground control can lead to mission failure. Though standard protocols are in place to prevent miscommunication, highly dynamic situations can lead to errors, even with these protocols in use. In extreme cases, poor communication can endanger lives.
Maintaining situational awareness is a constant requirement for operators, who must assess their surroundings, environmental conditions, and predict the mission’s outcome. Fatigue, lack of technical support, and outdated information can all affect this awareness, jeopardizing the success of the mission and the safety of the crew.
Technological Solutions
Technological integration, including AI and ER, must be introduced in a way that makes the technology intuitive and easy for human operators to use. Even the most advanced software can hinder rather than help if it is difficult to operate.
This presents another critical mission challenge: training. Continuous training is necessary to ensure both aircraft and ground crew stay updated on the latest technology, methodologies, and best practices. Aviation challenges often involve understanding how new technological advancements, software upgrades, and AI platforms can integrate with existing operational systems.
If these upgrades are too complex, their implementation into helicopters becomes slow and requires more extensive training. This increases both the time and cost of adoption, making overly complex software solutions inefficient.
Utilizing Technology to Alleviate Operator, Mission, and Aviation Challenges
A key approach to alleviating the challenges operators face is to reduce their workload, enabling them to concentrate on the most vital part of their job – making the right decisions during the mission.
This can be achieved by assigning tasks such as information gathering, observation, and communications to other crew members. However, technology also plays a significant role by automating tasks and enhancing others to make them easier for operators to manage.
For instance, ER programs can overlay multiple layers of information while minimizing irrelevant data, improving situational awareness and visibility. A prime example is FlySight’s OPENSIGHT Mission Console, which uses AI and ER software to enhance visibility in fog or smoke, overlay spatial information on urban landscapes, or even track and lock onto moving targets.
Aircraft Mission Systems like OPENSIGHT also handle tasks like data transfer between aircraft and control centers. Turnkey solutions, such as Mission Console or Analyst Console, create multi-platform PED (Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination) systems that can be customized with plug-ins to create intuitive, user-friendly systems.
These Consoles can automate many of the routine operations within a cockpit, freeing up the crew to focus on mission-critical tasks and vehicle operation.
By adhering to STANAG Guidelines and Rules, these systems use AI and ER to enhance a crew’s capabilities without overburdening them. This results in more efficient interaction between human operators and technology, reducing stress and fatigue while streamlining operational procedures on the ground and in the air.
Moreover, mission software is not only vital during real-time operations but also plays a crucial role in pre- and post-mission activities, particularly in data analysis. Due to their intuitive design, these plug-ins are easy to integrate into a closed system, providing real-time feedback that can be sent to operators in the field or reviewed later. The combination of AI and human operators allows for faster data processing, which is critical in situations like search and rescue operations.